Lobbying and Ethics

Feb 8, 2016

Top 400 Taxpayers See Tax Rates Rise, But There’s More to the Story

As Americans were gathering party supplies to greet the New Year, the Internal Revenue Service released their annual report of cumulative tax data reported on the 400 tax r...

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Feb 4, 2016

Chlorine Bleach Plants Needlessly Endanger 63 Million Americans

Chlorine bleach plants across the U.S. put millions of Americans in danger of a chlorine gas release, a substance so toxic it has been used as a chemical weapon. Greenpeace’s new repo...

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Jan 25, 2016

U.S. Industrial Facilities Reported Fewer Toxic Releases in 2014

The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI) data for 2014 is now available. The good news: total toxic releases by reporting facilities decreased by nearly six percent from 2013 levels. Howe...

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Jan 22, 2016

Methane Causes Climate Change. Here's How the President Plans to Cut Emissions by 40-45 Percent.

UPDATE (Jan. 22, 2016): Today, the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) released its proposed rule to reduce methane emissions...

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Still Struggling With Lobbying Reform

May 8, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

BNA Money and Politics ($$) envisions an intense conflict over lobby reform, warning that a "battle is heating up in the House over disclosure requirements for paid grass-roots lobbying, with opponents criticizing a new proposal (H.R. 2093)." The article describes the outpouring of opposition to the bill (H.R. 2093), which would only require disclosure by grassroots lobbying firms that that receive more than $100,000 a quarter. The bill was introduced so that it could be offered as an amendment if such language is not included in the overall lobbying and ethics bill.

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Another Week's Wait on Reform in House

May 4, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

Monday's news lent hope that House leaders planned to introduce their own version of the Senate's Legislative Transparency and Accountability Act of 2007 this week and move it quickly to the floor sometime during the first two weeks in May. By Friday, that timetable was kicked aside: Suggesting that they are still wrestling with contentious issues in major lobbying and ethics reform legislation, House Democratic leaders have put off plans to unveil a new bill and bring it to the House floor the week of May 7.

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House Democrats Continue To Try and Hash Out Fixes for Long Awaited Lobbying Bill

May 2, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

According to CongressDaily, House Democratic leaders met yesterday to work on the stalled lobbying and disclosure bill. The Judiciary Committee held one hearing in March on the bill the Senate passed in January, but no legislation has yet to be introduced. Judiciary Chairman John Conyers (D-MI) accurately commented; "It's a time crunch. No doubt about it. It's May 1 already," and he has expressed plans to mark up the bill as soon as possible.

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House Lobby Reform by Memorial Day?

Apr 24, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

CQ ($$) reports that with any luck, the House lobbying reform bill will be complete by the end of May. "Democrats hope a leadership-endorsed bill will be introduced by the end of this week, but even the chairmen involved in drafting it say they don't yet have a clear idea of what will be in the measure or when it will pass." The article describes the areas of contention that have slowed down drafting the measure, including grassroots lobbying disclosure.

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Lobby Reform? When?

Apr 17, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

The Hill reports that many groups are growing weary in the time lapse between the Senate passed ethics and lobbying reform bill and the one yet to be introduced in the House. "Growing nervous over possible further delay, ethics reform groups have stepped up their pressure on the House to introduce its companion piece to the Senate's lobbying reform bill." In response, efforts to uphold Congress' and the public's attention on the issue are crucial to avoid a final bill that is weak.

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Disclosure Functions as Big Brother??

Apr 11, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

CongressDaily ($$) reports that Democratic leaders plan to move quickly on lobbying and disclosure legislation when the House returns from its recess, and a bill is expected to be introduced later in April. One major flashpoint in the debate is whether to require individuals or groups to disclose attempts to motivate grassroots activity on issues. Opponents of the provision hope to replicate the success they had during the Senate debate, when they succeeded in stripping a provision requiring disclosure of so-called Astroturf lobbying.

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"Turf Battle"

Apr 5, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

An article in the National Journal ($$) explains the position of OMB Watch in the struggle to get a grassroots lobbying disclosure provision in the House lobby reform bill that has yet to be introduced. An approach that strictly requires grassroots firms to disclose is discriminatory in that only one type of group is targeted. All who equally engage in grassroots lobbying should report, this way the public will benefit by getting the most useful information.

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Miners Detail MSHA's Failings in Emotional Testimony

On March 28, the House Committee on Education and Labor heard emotional testimony from miners and miners' families about the dangerous conditions that currently exist in the coal industry, despite recent federal legislation that addresses mine safety. The main focus of the hearing was to provide a forum for the families and miners to argue for legislative and regulatory action similar to laws recently passed in West Virginia and Kentucky and to describe conditions in the mines.

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"Donors, Nonprofit Employees Support Lobbying Disclosures"

Mar 29, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

The Nonprofit Times highlighted the OMB Watch survey on grassroots lobbying disclosure. The article discusses the survey results and responses in some detail. For example, many who took the survey commented that disclosure would help distinguish "between genuine grassroots activism, which tends to be money-poor but people-rich, and 'Astroturf' lobbying, which tends to be money-rich."

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"Look closely at the grassroots"

Mar 21, 2007 by Amanda Adams*

In case anyone is perplexed about the details surrounding the complex debate on grassroots lobbying disclosure, be sure to read this op-ed in The Hill written by OMB Watch Executive Director Gary Bass. The piece points out one fact often missed by opponents, that unions and charities have both disclosed their grassroots activity for years without any chilling effect. "A better way to approach grassroots lobbying disclosure is to require all actors who meet defined thresholds to disclose their grassroots lobbying activity. This can be done without burdening small groups."

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